The Not-So-Quiet Revolution: Cautionary Comments on the Rejection of Hypothesis Testing in Favor of a “Causal” Modeling Alternative

Abstract

Rodgers (2010) recently applauded a revolution involving the increased use of statistical modeling techniques. It is argued that such use may have a downside, citing empirical evidence in educational psychology that modeling techniques are often applied in cross-sectional, correlational studies to produce unjustified causal conclusions and prescriptive statements.